Embodiments of the present invention relate to computer systems having processes or peripheral equipment supported by periodic maintenance or dispatched service, and to methods of maintaining continuous operation of such processes or peripheral equipment, for example, by monitoring status, reporting changes in status, and facilitating reconfiguration.
Computer system peripherals perform the input and output functions that give purpose and expression to the computational functions. Unreliability of a computer system peripheral may convey to the users of the computer system a sense that the computer system as a whole is unreliable. Peripherals generally include input devices (e.g., scanners, measurement equipment, keyboards and pointing devices, microphones and cameras), input/output devices (e.g., network interfaces), and output devices (e.g., facsimile transmitters, speakers, monitors, projectors, and printers and plotters for a wide range of media including film, paper, labels, and transparencies).
Because some peripherals include consumable components, require calibration, require cleaning or adjustment, have failure indications that are not readily apparent, or otherwise would remain in operating condition longer if quickly or periodically serviced, it may be cost effective to provide built-in measurement and front panel display capabilities for various conditions regarding peripheral device operation. However, front panel control and display capabilities may be unsatisfactory (e.g., due to fixed location on the peripheral) for informing appropriate personnel of the condition of peripherals so as to reduce the cost of on-site maintenance, for informing users of alternatives when a particular peripheral will be or is unavailable, and for improving surveillance of the utilization of peripherals (e.g., for changes in routine operation, and operations research).
A conventional computer system may have many processes some of which may be operating independently (e.g., a multiuser system) and some may be cooperating as part of a distributed process application programs (e.g., client-server applications or tandem process applications). One or more processors in such a computer system may be involved in performing some or all of a given process. Managing the processes in such a computer system has conventionally been accomplished at a system operation console or by a system operator having system level access privileges. However, limited access to process status and process controls may be unsatisfactory. For example, different users may desire different information from a particular process or different users may be capable of some but not all controls of a particular process. Conventional systems management software is not capable of suitably informing appropriate personnel of the condition of a process so as to reduce operating costs (e.g., process slow downs or blocked processes), informing users of alternatives when a particular process will be or is unavailable, and for improving surveillance of the utilization of processes (e.g., for changes in routine operation, and operations research).
There remains a need for decreasing the cost of maintenance of processes and peripherals. Without improved communication of a process""s or a peripheral""s operating conditions to appropriate system operators, maintainers, designers, users, component suppliers, and business information processing systems, perceived computer system reliability may continue to decline as the number of peripherals for such computer systems increases.
A method for monitoring a computer system peripheral, according to various aspects of the present invention includes sending a first message to the peripheral where the first message includes indicia of a subscription for a status of the peripheral; and receiving a plurality of publications from the peripheral where each publication includes a respective value of the status.
Because the peripheral maintains a list of subscriptions for status reporting, changes in status may be reported by publication to subscribers reachable across the network (as opposed to merely a front panel indication). Because any user may at any time send a message to the peripheral to become a subscriber for particular status, personnel appropriate to monitoring or maintaining the peripheral in view of the particular status are suitably informed.
In another implementation according to various aspects of the present invention, a computer system includes workstations and a peripheral having a processor. The workstations are each capable of sending at least one message by email. Such messages include a respective addressee and a request. The peripheral is coupled to the plurality of workstations by a network for communication by email. The processor of the peripheral performs a method including the following steps in any order: (a) posting a plurality of subscriptions, each posted in response to receiving a request comprising a respective status identifier; (b) monitoring status of the peripheral to provide a plurality of values in accordance with a plurality of the respective status identifiers; and (c) sending by email a plurality of publications each comprising a value of the plurality of values and each addressed in accordance with a subscription of the plurality of subscriptions.
By providing email send and receive capability in the peripheral, requests for subscriptions and publications of status reports are communicated in a manner that is efficient in terms of system resources and in terms of interacting with personnel. Mail servers in a network may permit email traffic through fire walls, facilitating access to the peripheral, for example, for monitoring status, for obtaining notice of changes in status, and for reconfiguration all from any station of a network, including a world wide network for email.
In yet another implementation according to various aspects of the present invention, a memory includes indicia of a method for execution by a processor in a peripheral for maintaining a peripheral in a computer system. The peripheral includes a multiplicity of indications of status, each indication identified by a identifier. The method includes the following steps in any order: (a) supporting network communication; (b) monitoring indications of status of the peripheral corresponding respectively to each identifier to provide notice of change of a particular indication; (c) maintaining a list of subscriber entries, each subscriber entry comprising a respective addressee and a respective identifier, the list being maintained in response to receiving network communication; (d) selecting from the list of subscriber entries a plurality of addressees in accordance with the identifier corresponding to the particular indication; and (e) providing notice of the change to each addressee via network communication.
A method for monitoring a process performed by a computer system, according to various aspects of the present invention includes sending to a processor indicia satisfying access control and indicia of a subscription for a status of the process; and receiving a plurality of publications from the processor where each publication includes a respective value of the status.
Because the processor maintains a list of subscriptions for status reporting, particular changes in status may be reported by publication to particular subscribers reachable across the network (as opposed to merely a system manager or system management account). Because any user may at any time send a message to the processor to become a subscriber for particular status, personnel appropriate to monitoring or maintaining the process in view of the particular status are suitably informed.